Paraphrasing Quick Guide

When to Paraphrase • to highlight original ideas

• to change the emphasis of information to match your own arguments
• to provide a clear “voice” in your paper that isn’t directly connected to other works

STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3

How to Paraphrase
Read important parts of
the source material until
you fully understand its
meaning.
STEP 4
Take some notes and list Write your own paragraph
key terms of source with your words without
material. looking at the source
material, only using the
key terms.
STEP 5

Check to make sure your Indicate where your

version captures paraphrasing starts and
important parts and ends using in-text citation.
intent of the source
material.

Paraphrasing • Change the voice of the source text (ex, active voice passive voice).
• Use a thesaurus to find synonyms and related terms.
Techniques
• Include introduction phrases to introduce information and show your position. See
below for more information about signaling verbs.
• Merge multiple sentences of the source text into a one-or two-sentence paraphrase
• Combine quotes and paraphrasing within the same sentence.

Tips for • When you use a direct quote, be sure to clarify the quote to show why you have
included it.
Paraphrasing
• Avoid using blocks of quoted text, especially in papers on the natural sciences. You
can almost always use a paraphrase/quote combination instead.
• Even when you paraphrase with your own terms, you still must provide in-text
citations (according the formatting requirements—APA, AMA, MLA, etc.).
• When quoting or paraphrasing your own previous work, treat it as another person’s
work (i.e., you must
• still use quotation marks and/or citations).

Free Tool for URL https://paraphrasing-tool.com/

Paraphrasing
Introducing Your Authors show their positions regarding the original content by using signaling verbs
that are neutral, that show agreement, or that show disagreement.
Paraphrase
(Signaling Verbs)
Neutral Position Agreement with Author Disagreement with Author

believe show neglect

“Miller (2003, p. 23) “Brooks (1994) showed “LaJolla (2011, p. 12)
believes that the answer how nitrogen was essential neglects to include the
to immortality lies in to the development of most important method
food…” life…” of analysis…”

Conclude Observe Demonstrate Evidence Disregard overlook

Propose argue prove confirm pay little attention to
write

When to Direct • Simply a “copy-and-paste” of the original words.

• Quoted text must be accompanied by quotation marks and in-text citation.
Quote

Examples of The details about how text have been changed are indicated in red. Note the usage of

Multiple Attribution signaling terms to introduce the author’s content.

Methods
Original Source Text:
“Fully grown penguins generate pressures of around 74 mm Hg to excrete liquid
material and 430 mm Hg to excrete material of higher viscosity similar to that of oil.”

Direct Quote:
In her study of Antarctic penguin defecation habits, Brooks (1995, p.4) wrote, “fully
grown Chinstrap penguins generate pressures of around 74 mm Hg to excrete liquid
material and 430 mm Hg to excrete material of higher viscosity similar to that of oil.”

*Quotations around quotes; citations included; many details provided; a complete

sentence is quoted.

Paraphrase:
When studying Chinstrap penguin defecation habits, Brooks (1995, p.4) observed that
fully grown penguins generate a much higher pressure when excreting more viscous
fecal matter.

*No quotation marks; citations included; the most important data fact is highlighted:
“Penguins use more pressure to excrete thicker poo.”
Examples of Quote/Paraphrase Combination:

Multiple Attribution When studying penguin defecation habits, Brooks (1995, p.4) observed that fully grown
penguins vary in how they excrete waste, generating “pressures of around 74 mm Hg
Methods
to excrete liquid material and 430 mm Hg to excrete material of higher viscosity similar
to that of oil.”

*Quotations around quotes; citations included; many details provided; a complete

sentence is quoted.

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